Tag: Stress Management

Help identify and deal with stress

Reactions to stress are stored in the mind and body, they shape our perceptions and view of the world.

Stressed and tense

Constant repetition of the fight, flight and collapse response takes its toll on the immune system and leaves us susceptible to illness, disease. Similarly mental responses to stress include anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance and phobias.

Therefore self-care on more than just one level is vital to our health.

More importantly, finding ways of controlling our reactions to stress mentally and physically, rather than allowing it to control us, is essential to being a well being.

I should know I’ve been a stress management expert for many years and my clients know that even one small change makes a huge difference to the quality of life and can help you cope better.

50 Signs of Stress:

…And also the solutions to combat stress and freegifts to help you deal with it.

Psychological signs:

Feeling angry

Anxious, apprehensive, frightened, fearful

Excessive feelings of shame or embarrassment

Constant Cynicism

Depressed or generally low

Guilty

Helpless, out of control

Experiencing intrusive thoughts or images

Day-dreaming more

Experiencing loss of confidence

Mood swings

Nightmares

Obsessive thoughts

Reduced self-esteem

Suicidal thoughts

Thinking the future is bleak

Unable to concentrate

Worrying more

Physical signs:

Breathlessness

Backaches

Constipation or diarrhoea

Change to menstrual cycle

Frequent colds or other infections

Feeling faint or fainting

Headaches or migraines

Indigestion

Muscle twitches

Palpitations

Rapid weight change

Skin complaints

Sweating or clammy hands

Tightness or pain in chest

Thrush or cystitis

Vague aches or pains

Increased tiredness or fatigue

Behavioural signs:

Accident-proneness

Aggressive or passive behaviour

Clenched fists or jaws

Comfort eating or loss of appetite

Compulsive or impulsive behaviour

‘Checking’ rituals

Disturbed sleep patterns

Eating/talking/walking quickly

Increased alcohol or caffeine consumption

Irritability

Poor time management

Reduced work performance

Smoking more

Withdrawal from supportive relationships

Too busy to relax

Stress management is something that has to be built into and made part of each day.

breathing

Furthermore, repetition is the mother of all skill and stress management requires practise.

You wouldn’t expect to go to the gym now and then to have a strong, toned body and it’s the same with maintaining a calm, relaxed state in the face of stressful events and triggers.

Firstly you have to know the difference between stressed and calm. Practise a Progressive Relaxation. Do it Now!

Secondly repeat this as often as possible so that you train and engrain the right responses to stress.

Finally, stop the stress reaction more quickly by recognising tension and stress as it’s creeping in. Consciously pay attention to that knot in your shoulder or tightness in your neck, use it as a trigger to start the relaxation response.

Because stress increases when we forget to breathe properly humming and whistling will help you to breathe better. A whistle or hum is effectively an exhalation.

Try it now, you’ll notice that you take a bigger, slightly longer inhalation after you’ve whistled or hummed. Increased breath means more energy and a calmer state and better equanimity of mind.

Most importantly reprogram your mind to combat stress while you sleep. The Stress Free With Relaxation program allows your subconscious mind to absorb positive suggestions and counter daytime stress triggers.

Maximum effort required, put in earbuds as you drop off to sleep. Return On Investment = Feeling rested and refreshed with a positive state of mind and wellbeing. Effortless!

“Just what I needed, really great” ” … completely relaxed and enjoyed the practice, venue, food and great company… such great organisation” is just some of the feedback received after last weekend’s yoga retreat. (Book there for the next one in February.

Being Versus Doing

Do you want peace in your life? What are you doing to achieve that state?

Even if you’re new to yoga get on your mat and breathe then begin to stretch, you’ll be surprised how quickly you will remember a couple of yoga poses you’ve enjoyed in the past and just do them. Listen to your body. If it hurts don’t do it! Apart from that enjoy!

Be the peace you want to see.

Even 5 minutes of yoga can give you a break from the incessant dominance of the ego mind. You’ll recognise your ego mind as the part of you that labels, criticises, judges, demands and has big expectations. Sound familiar?

Yoga means union or to join, try taking a few minutes this weekend to tune into your breathing. Go on I dare you to take up my challenge and simply follow 10 whole breaths without allowing your mind to wander – good luck with that!

Oh and by the way this is a whole breath. Breathe in. Notice the natural holding of the breath. Breathe out. Notice the pause before you breathe in again.

Enjoy and let me know how you get on. Also remember there’s the ‘Ask Sue’ page if you have a yoga related or counselling question.

Anger plays a part in a bigger picture of loss. So what’s changed recently, what have you lost? A loved one, a job, relationship, house? The disappointment of your own expectations? Maybe you’ve gone so far into a ‘role’ that you’ve actually lost yourself. In which case you’ll need to find your way home again to remembering who you really are.

Begin by acknowledging what you might be grieving, then move onto the following 10 ways to address feelings of frustration and anger.

1. Write, on a sheet of paper, “I’m angry because…” and write a list of 50 things that come to mind. The exercise in itself will be enlightening and then see if there is anything you can actually do to change the irritating factor. If you can’t, then you might just have to do a bit of growing up and work on accepting what you can’t change.

2. Write a letter (by hand) to the person you feel angry with (even if they are no longer alive) and tear it up into lots of pieces when you have finished.

3. Sing or whistle – it helps you to breathe out; at the end of the sound you have to take a deep breath in again.

5. Lie on the floor with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, pull your belly button back toward your spine and thump your feet up and down on the floor and move them from side to side. Make fists and thump them on the floor too.

6. Look up EFT for anger on YouTube there’s loads of videos that will help you learn how to use this amazing technique.

7. If you’re stuck in traffic, take a deep breath in, and as you breathe out make a loud HAAAAA sound.

Do you need to recharge?

Do you need to relax?

Do you need a moment to yourself?

If you’ve answered yes to any of the above sit back and open your free gift.

The blog’s short this week and I’m giving you a free gift. Add it to the resources in your ‘adult’ part. Use it often and enjoy the benefits.

Many of you are telling me how stressed you are at the moment. Whether that’s down to your heavy work load, the demands of family and friends, illness, life-changing events or just that this cold spell of weather that won’t go away, use the program below to gently pull you back into the present.

Pin for Later

As we approach International Women’s Day I bathe in the reflected glory of 22 powerful women that I’ve just spent a weekend yoga retreat with. These women whose ages span several decades are creators, mothers, movers and shakers of our world. Just being in the presence of these women who uncomplainingly and capably reinvent themselves over and over to fit with the different demands and phases of their lives is both energising and inspiring.

I was impressed with how quickly these women were able to power down and effectively ‘change channels’ to release and relax into yoga. This was facilitated by the fresh sea air of the Sussex Coast, plenty of rest, delicious vegetarian cuisine and a mixed bag of yoga tuition from Sarah www.practiceyoga.co.uk and myself – see here for my www.breezeyoga.co.uk class.

Though no-one’s a bigger fan of versatility than me – in 2013 I launched a jazz album and released a co-authored book – I believe it is equally important to be able to switch off and completely relax. In fact I think it’s essential to good health and wellbeing to experience regular periods of relaxation though I gather that just doesn’t come easily to most.

Do you recognise when you need to change channels and properly chill out?

Back in my late twenties when one of my lungs collapsed three times as a result of stress! I was told if it happened again the consequences would be dire. Since I’m a type-A personality I trained in hypnotherapy so that I would be able to put myself into a deep state of relaxation whenever I felt the stress mounting. Nowadays with yoga as part of my life I’m generally calmer, though I do listen to Stress Free with Confidence on a regular basis if I’ve got a lot going on, since I designed it specifically to deal with daily stressors. So I’m wondering…

What do you do to relax?

that doesn’t involve copious amounts of alcohol or slumping in front of a screen for hours on end?